Asia Cup: Shoaib Malik hopes for a face-off against India in the final
Pakistan's former skipper Shoaib Malik is desperate for a rematch against India in the final of the Asia Cup. The middle order batsman said that the entire team was utterly disappointed after their defeat against their arch-rivals India but they were keen on winning the other matches to qualify for the final.
He also added, “We want to play India in the final again and we know we can do well against them. It is all a matter of just adapting to the different conditions here.”
Shoaib also stressed upon the fact that they have a formidable bowling line-up consisting of good fast bowlers and effective spinners and it is just their batting that needs to step up.
The Eternal Rivalry
The fierce rivalry between the two powerhouses of Asian cricket is something that every cricket fan cherishes.The magnitude of this rivalry is often compared to that of the Ashes. But in recent times, the faceoffs between the two teams have become a little one sided with India winning most of the games.
The Pakistan team isn’t the same anymore which they used to be in the nineties when they had exceptional players like Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad or Inzamam-ul-Haq and many more. They always had an upper hand over India then. But in recent times, their dilapidated batting line up has more often than not embarrassed them.
In the recently concluded Asia Cup match against India, the batting once again crumbled and they were bowled out for a paltry 83. It was their pace sensation Mohammad Amir who brought them back into the game with an exceptional opening spell, where he picked up three key wickets of Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina. But it was India again who emerged winners, courtesy of a classy knock under pressure from Virat Kohli.
We know how much emotions are involved in a match with India: Malik
Shoaib felt sorry for the fans and said, “We all know just how disappointing the defeat to India must have been to our supporters back home. We know how much emotions are involved in a match with India and we would like to make amends.”
So it is quite clear that Shoaib and the other Pakistani players are desperate for an act of vengeance and one thing for sure is that if their batting clicks, they will become the side to beat given the bowler-friendly conditions in Bangladesh.